<p>Media sound bites often make research conclusions seem “obvious” because they take out the complexities and offer only the ten-second version of it. If a journal article catches the interest of the media, chances are it’s because the research was published in a high profile journal – and those journals don’t accept papers without serious review. </p>
<p>But that’s straying from the question. Undergraduates are not expected to undertake completely original research. They research under the guidance and direction of professors. Most undergraduates start out small doing low-level tasks appropriate for their level of training, and then gradually become more and more involved in research until they are skilled/experienced enough to do an honors thesis.</p>